Nikki
Nikki was the 3504th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 44 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 173rd with 1,704 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,900 places. More babies were named Nikki in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Nicole/Nicola · English, Greek
Say it NIK-ee /ˈnɪki/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,504 girls, down 827 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 44girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19721,704 babies
- Total since 1880
- 41,005babies recorded
What does the name Nikki mean?
Nikki is a 20th-century spelling of Nicky, a pet form of Nicole, Nicola and related names. Nicole is the French feminine of Nicolas (Nicholas), from Greek nikē, "victory", and laos, "people". Wikipedia notes Nikki is also used for other names, and separately as a Punjabi name meaning "little one". Nikki was most popular in the US around 1970.
νίκη (Greek, “victory”)λαός (Greek, “people”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Nicole, Nicky, Nicola, Nichole.
See also: Greek names, names that mean victory.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nikki', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Nicholas', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Nikki (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nikki popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 896 since 1943.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,504 | 44 |
| 2020 | #2,677 | 63 |
| 2010 | #1,377 | 169 |
| 2000 | #585 | 443 |
| 1990 | #282 | 985 |
| 1980 | #247 | 1,045 |
| 1970 | #369 | 657 |
| 1960 | #725 | 195 |
| 1950 | #530 | 244 |
| 1940 | #1,144 | 41 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Nikki, counting every spelling?
Nikki is the most common spelling of a name family that had 57 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 57 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikki | 44 | #3,504 | 272 |
| Niki | 13 | #8,214 | 74 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nikki?
44 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nikki (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nikki born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 191 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nikki.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nikki?
About 37,300 people born in the US named Nikki are alive today, with a median age of 44; half are between 34 and 53. That makes Nikki mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nikki by state
How common Nikki was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.1×). In 47 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nikki: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nikki, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nikki · Sibling names for Nikki
Nikki is also a nickname for Nicole.
Questions about the name Nikki
What does Nikki mean?
Nikki means “pet form of Nicole/Nicola” (English, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Nikki?
Nikki was the 3504th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 44 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 173rd with 1,704 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,900 places. More babies were named Nikki in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Nikki a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nikki in the US.
Where is Nikki most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nikki was most common in California (0.07 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Texas.